Markus Molitor, Niedermenniger Herrenberg, Auslese ***, 2005
Half bottle Rieslings are very tempting. Not because getting half the amount of wine is exciting as such, but because these small bottles often contain some of the highest quality drops of sweet molten gold. A three star Auslese ('selection') wine from top Mosel winemaker Molitor would have to be a candidate for a top quality sweet wine. Or is it?
The colour is of the purest gold, which is not a bad start. The nose is intense, deep and polished: floral, stone fruit, pineapple, all coming together in a sweet, fruity bouquet that tempts with herbal notes and great minerality. Well, and it is as good on the tongue, wonderfully well defined fruit flavours (again peach/stone fruit, pineapple and also apricot) - intense, creamy, a substantial, complex body, a focussed fruit explosion perfectly balanced with good acidity.
Some similarities to the recent Dönnhoffs, but so intense in its fruitiness that comparing it to an elegant, slender dancer does not quite work, despite the Molitor's undeniable elegance - with these muscles it is more like a mountain lion. Fantastic.